Manufacturing of semiconductor devices may include multi-step epitaxy, wherein device formation processes may be performed between successive epitaxy processes. Conventionally, device regions formed in the different epitaxial layers are adjusted to each other by aligning exposure masks to an alignment structure formed prior to the epitaxy processes in a base substrate onto which the epitaxial layers are successively grown. Typical alignment structures are based on grooves or recesses etched into the base substrate and imaged into an exposed surface of the respective epitaxial layer.
It is desirable to simplify process complexity of forming device patterns in successively grown epitaxial layers that are aligned with respect to an alignment structure.